Plug-in connectors, which are used in particular on wind turbines, need to be as fully shielded as possible in order to effectively divert excess voltage, which can occur as a result of a lightning strike, for example. To this end the shield of the cable, for example in the form of a shielding braid, which surrounds the wires of the cable and is arranged below the sheath of the cable, must be contacted. This is generally only possible with a great deal of complexity. For example, stripping the sheath off the free end of the cable, unbraiding the shielding braid below, turning it down and laying it across the sheath of the cable is known. In order to form a contact, a metal sleeve is then passed over the folded down shielding braid and screwed or crimped to the shielding braid such that the shielding braid is clamped between the metal sleeve and the sheath. This method is often used in the case of coaxial plug-in connectors or moulded plug-in connectors, such as described in EP 0 207 322 B1.
In the case of plug-in connectors that can be freely assembled, the method is either similar or the contact is formed via a spring element, which can be activated via a housing for example, such as described in DE 198 49 227 C1.
The continuation of the shielding is then normally achieved via a screw connection, which corresponds to an appropriate screw part of a mating plug.
One disadvantage of the production methods described above is that they require a lot of effort and cannot be automated. These plug-in connectors are normally assembled manually, which is very especially inefficient in the case of large quantities.